Golden Slumbers

Song infobox
Name = Golden Slumbers


Artist = The Beatles
Album = Abbey Road
Released = 26 September 1969
track_no = 14
Recorded = Abbey Road: 2 July-15 August 1969
Genre = Rock
Length = 1:31
Writer = Lennon/McCartney
Label = Apple Records
Producer = George Martin
Misc = Extra musicsample |filename=Golden Slumbers.ogg |title=Golden Slumbers |description= |format=Ogg |Type=songExtra tracklisting
Album = Abbey Road
Type = studio
Tracks = ;Side one
#"Come Together"
#"Something"
#"Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
#"Oh! Darling"
#"Octopus's Garden"
#"I Want You (She's So Heavy)";Side two
#"Here Comes the Sun"
#"Because"
#"You Never Give Me Your Money"
#"Sun King"
#"Mean Mr. Mustard"
#"Polythene Pam"
#"She Came In Through the Bathroom Window"
#"Golden Slumbers"
#"Carry That Weight"
#"The End"
#"Her Majesty"

"Golden Slumbers" is a song by The Beatles, part of the climactic medley on their 1969 album "Abbey Road". The song begins the progression that leads to the end of the album and is followed by "Carry That Weight." The two songs were recorded together as a single piece,cite book |author=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |publisher=Harmony Books |location=New York |year=1988 |pages=178 |isbn=0-517-57066-1] and both were written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney).cite book |author=David Sheff |title=All We Are Saying |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |year=2000 |pages=203 |isbn=0-312-25464-4]

Original ballad and poem

"Golden Slumbers" is based on a poem by Thomas Dekker and written in a lullaby style. McCartney saw the sheet music for Dekker's lullaby at his father's home in Liverpool, left on a piano by his stepsister Ruth McCartney. McCartney could not read music at the time and was unable to read the score, and so he created his own melody and arrangement.cite book |author=Barry Miles |title=Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now |publisher=Henry Holt & Company |location=New York |year=1997 |pages=557 |isbn=0-8050-5249-6]

Recording

McCartney was the lead vocalist. He begins the song in a soft tone appropriate for a lullaby, with piano, bass guitar, and string section accompaniment. Beginning with the line "Golden slumbers fill your eyes...", the drums come in and McCartney switches to a stronger tone, both of which emphasize the switch to the refrain. McCartney said, "I remember trying to get a very strong vocal on it, because it was such a gentle theme, so I worked on the strength of the vocal on it, and ended up quite pleased with it."

The main recording session for "Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight" was on 2 July 1969.John Lennon was not present. He was injured in a motor vehicle accident in Scotland on 1 July 1969 and was hospitalized there until 6 July.cite book |author=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |pages=177 ]

Additional vocals were added in an overdub session on 30 July 1969, the same day the first trial edit of the side two medley was created.cite book |author=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |pages=183] Lennon did participate in this session. On 15 August, orchestral overdubs were made to "Golden Slumbers" and five other songs on "Abbey Road".cite book |author=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |pages=184]

Credits

*Paul McCartney – vocals and piano
*George Harrison - bass
*Ringo Starr – drums

Covers

*In 1969 the George Benson version was released on the LP "The Other Side of Abbey Road".

*In 1970 it was featured as the beginning of a medley on John Denver's album Whose Garden Was This?.

* In 1971 it was recorded by Brazilian singer Elis Regina, in the LP "Ela" (She)

*In 1991 it was recorded as a duet between Jackson Browne and Jennifer Warnes for the Disney benefit album "For Our Children: To Benefit the Pediatrics AIDS Foundation".

*In 1996 an album was released by the reggae cover band Dread Zeppelin featuring a cover.

*In 1998, it was covered by Phil Collins on the album "In My Life", a tribute to George Martin.

*In 2002 a version by Ben Folds appeared on the "I Am Sam" soundtrack.

*In 2006 it was covered by k.d. lang in a mashup with The End in the movie "Happy Feet".

*In 2003 it was featured as a B-side on Alex Lloyd's single, 'Coming Home'.

*In 2006 it was also covered by German singer/songwriter Rolf Meurer.

*Les Fradkin has an instrumental version on his 2005 release- "While My Guitar Only Plays".

*A cover version of the song, entitled "Golden Blumbers" appears on cult and popular Argentinian singer/songwriter Andrés Calamaro's 5-disc album "El Salmon". The album was recorded partly while Calamaro was diagnosed insane by numerous psychologists. After the album was finished, Calamaro spent 6 months in a rehabilitation home.

*It was covered by Claudine Longet.

*The title of the 1990 song "Golden Blunders" by The Posies was inspired by "Golden Slumbers" ("Golden Blunders" was covered by Ringo Starr in 1992).

Notes